SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is not as complicated as it used to be, but if you want to get ahead, you could consider using a few SEO tools. They cannot guarantee that your website will climb the Google search engine results faster, but they may help you eliminate a few optimization mistakes, and they may even help you figure out what is dragging your search ranking down.
#1. Copyscape
Check to see if the text you just bought is plagiarized. You may also see if other websites have stolen your content. It is a paid tool, but it is very accurate. There are free elements too, such as how you are able to check five of your web pages per day to see if others are stealing text from them.
#2. Google Analytic
Insert a little code into your website and you can see your website’s traffic in real time. You may also see historic traffic numbers, and you may set up very detailed monitoring protocols. It takes a lot of learning in order to use the tool to its fullest potential, but the amount of customization options you are given is legendary.
#3. Broken Link Checker
There are plenty of broken link checkers on the Internet. This one is special because it can run through your website and check it for broken links exclusively, or it can check every link on your website and show you what response a web browser gets from it. In addition, using the tool is free, and you do not have to sign up for an account or anything of that nature. It is also very accurate, which makes it a top SEO tool for you to consider.
#4. GuestPost Tracker
You may visit websites that give away and sell lists of websites that accept guest posts, or you may try the GuestPost tracker tool that offers as many as 1000 websites that accept guest posts. The downside is that the GuestPost tracker tool is a subscription tool, and the list only ever updates around 10% of its entries each month, which makes it a very poor long-term tool, but it’s a handy short-term tool.
#5. Assignment Masters
Google rewards websites that update themselves frequently. Some websites do this by producing lots of written text, and others do it by updating the text that is already on their website. In either case, it is a good idea to have a team of writers on hand. The Assignment Masters team is full of degree-qualified writers who are able to write content and blog posts on a wide variety of subjects.
#6. MarieHaynes.com Blacklist
The tool works well in theory, and it is free, but it has flaws. What it does is show you which websites are on the MarieHaynes blacklist. If you are thinking about linking to a website and you are unsure if it is a spammy website, then enter its URL into the blacklisting tool and see what it says. The tool is flawed because it cannot list every spammy website, and the owner has a habit of adding websites that she has a personal grudge against.
#7. Ontolo
This is a partially free tool that allows you to conduct research that will help you find websites to link from. It has eighty sources that it mines for information. For example, it may help you find a blog that has a comment section that offers followed links. It may help you find websites that are commonly known for accepting user contributions. It also helps you find paid link sites where you pay to have your website inserted in the catalog for a number of weeks.
#8. Ahrefs
The Ahrefs tool does much of what the Google Analytics tool does, but this tool allows you to gain a little more information about other websites. It is also far easier to understand that the Google Analytics tool. There are far more tabs and menu items than there are with Google Analytics, but that is part of the reason why it is a little easier to understand what is going on when you use Ahrefs.
#9. Google Adwords Keyword Planner
Sign up for Google Adwords, and play with their keyword planner during the ad creation process. You don’t have to buy the ad, you may just keep playing with their keyword too. It gives you an indication of which keywords are best suited for your ad, but it is up to you to choose which of their suggestions will work the best for your website because ad keywords and website keywords have different levels of importance. What is deemed an important keyword for your ads may have little importance when used as a keyword on your website.
#10. Google Webmaster Tools
Leaving one of the best tools until the end, Google will help you rank your website higher up the search engine results. The tool helps you figure out what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. As a side effect, it also gives you a clue to how Google views your website. For example, if you frequently write “Click Here” whenever you enter a link, then your Google Webmaster Tools may point out that the words “Click Here” are being construed as important keywords. The only downside with Google Webmaster Tools is that it takes a lot of study and understanding before you may use it to its full potential.
Author:
Hillary Hope is a freelance writer with a creative approach. She specializes in social media marketing and news. She has more than 8 years of experience in writing about fashion, family, parenting tips, health and lifestyle topics
